Epilogue
Aubree
Ruby was right when she said that things were going to get a lot worse. She was also right when she said they would get better, but that is a story for another time.
I moved in with Cole the very night that we claimed each other, but it was more like I never went home again. After a couple nights Gram called Cole out on it, and he told her that I was his woman and I belonged in his home. She never did say anything about it after that. Gram did expect us over for dinner a couple nights a month, and we were more than happy to go.
Soon after we were mated, Cole slid a diamond ring on my finger, after asking my Gram for permission to marry me of course. When he told me he did that, I couldn’t help but laugh. What was the man going to do if she said no? She didn’t by the way.
My shifting didn’t come as easy as other things in our life had. The first time I tried shifting into my bear, it was excruciating. Because they were born as shifters, they had been doing it since they were babies. Shifting was as natural as breathing for them. To me, it was like trying to breathe underwater. Cole eventually had to coax my bear out after a few weeks of not being able to shift. Once the shy girl was out, she was loveable as can be. Crazy enough my bear and Slates’s bear took a liking to each other. Seems that his bear found peace in the company of my very submissive bear. In a clan of very dominant black bear shifters, my submissive bear was like a balm in the midst of things.
It was after my first shift around everyone, and we were just hanging out at our house when Slate gave me the biggest big brother hug and really welcomed me into the family. He apologized for how he had treated me at first and opened up about what he was struggling with. My heart hurt for him, and I hoped he would eventually find peace.
I became pregnant with our twins after only a couple of months. Our daughters Chrysanthemum and Hydrangea were born six months later, who knew shifter’s pregnancies weren’t as long, score! Lavender was born almost a year later with Poppy following a few years after that. Cole wanted a son and on our last try Gentry was born when Poppy was five.
“How are you feeling love?” Cole asks, dropping a kiss on my forehead before he adds another log to the fire.
“Oh, you know me, I’m just pregnant for the umpteenth time.”
“Umpteenth meaning the fifth time?”
“I’m counting this as my sixth time since Chrissy, and Gea’s pregnancy was double the fun.”
“Whatever you want to call it love is fine with me. But, by your logic, this would be your sixth and seventh pregnancy.”
I snap my fingers and point at him. “By golly, you’ve got it!”
“Damn you’re snarky tonight.” He laughs coming over to rub my feet that I’ve already placed in his lap.
“I’m just cranky. Gentry is teething so if he’s having a rough go of it, that means so is everyone else.”
“Speaking of everyone else, where are the girls?”
“Gabe offered to take them for a few hours when he stopped by earlier. I shoved them out of the house so fast, you’d have been proud. And, Gentry is finally down for a nap.”
“So, what you’re telling me is we could have some alone time?” He asks wiggling his eyebrows.”
I pat his face. “Oh love, you can spend some alone time out here, and I’ll do it in our bed.”
“What if I promise to cuddle and not try and bury my snake in your garden.”
“You’ve been around the girls too long.” He laughs but helps to get me to the bed and comfortable before he lays behind me stroking my hair.
“I love you, baby.”
The End
Author’s Note
Cole’s Salvation is book one in the Black Hills Shifters series. This is not the end for Cole and Aubree. You will see them again throughout the rest of the series. Please look for Slate’s Surrender, which is due to come out soon, written by M. Merin.